Ladder web of venetian blinds



Jan; 26, 1937.. e. F. FRENCH Re. 20,257

LADDER WEB OF VENETIAN BLINDS Original Filed May 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jail. 26, 1 937. I V FRENCH Re. 20,257

' LADDER WEB OF VBNETIAN BLINDS Original Filed lay 11, 1932 4 Shets-Sheet 2 Jan. 26, 1937. FRENCH Re. 20,257

LADDER WEB OF VENETIAN BLINDS Original File d llay l1, 1932- 4 Sheets-She et 3 Jan. 26, 1937. FRENCH Re. 20,257

LADDER WEB 0F VENETIAN BLINDS Original Filed May 11, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Reissued Jen. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LADDER was or VENETIAN amps. George Frederick ,Fre-ich, Manchester, England, assignor to Thomas French & Sons Limited, Manchester, England Original No. 1,980,048, dated November 6. 1984,

Serial No. 610,565, May 11, 1932.

Application for reissue October 21, 1936, Serlal No. 106,928. .In Great Britain June 16, 1931,

9 Claims. (Cl. 242-45) Venetian blind ladder web as it comes from" previously thought to be the cause, but was due to the reeling of the web on a smaller diameter core, which caused a relative compression of the inner of the two outside main tapes and a puckerlng thereof, especially at the points where .the

the loom is wound into reels, each reel containing cross-tapes are secured to the main tapes. I, I about '72 yards. The reeling or the web is usually thereupon, increased the diameter of the core and done in a power-driven machine comprising it found that the damage couldbe prevented when half-inch spindle, with fast and loose pulleys, the proper diameter was obtained. and with discs to form the sides of the channel According to the invention, instead of reeling 10 in which the web is reeled. The end of the web the web upon a relatively small centre block, it 10 is secured to the spindle and the web is tightly is reeledupon a relatively large block, or ring, coiled as the spindle is rotated. both prior to and after cutting the superfluous The ladder web is composed of two outer thickthreads to allow the separation of the webs, the nesses (usually about 1%" wide) joined at interdiameter of the block or ring being equivalent vals by pairs of inner and narrow cross-tapes, to the size of coil at which, using the spindle, (usually wide), the cross-tapes, lying side the layers or thicknesses of the web cease to coil by side (ofl'set) being interwoven with the outer in other than a. regular (non-distorted) relathicknesses in sandwich form. To make the web tionship. marketable, certain superfluous weftless threads In one example of the invention, a centre block m of the cross-tapes which join the two outer thickof 5" diameter and 1%. wide is used. With such nesses have to be cut away. In order to make enlarged block, it is found that any length of web the cutting easy, the web is first wound onto a can be reeled without any portion being damaged. reel in the manner described, and after cutting An explanation of the even reeling (and in said threads, which leaves the web loose, the web determination oi the "relatively large" diameter as is usua ly wou d. e econd w d n be n of block to be used) is that the outer and inner on to a small wood center block of a diameter thicknesses of the web, while free to stretch or 01 a out which remains in the reel. contract, are only required to do so to such '"a Ladder web r q ire to be ma n re l d so small degree that the two outer webs particularly that the web when s d shall pport the laths can regain naturally their former relationship so or slats of a Venetian blind at the pr pe 1 8 to each other when the web is unwound or is flat with all the laths para l l wi h and equidistant or suspended in a straight line, i. e. that the webs from one another, and,'theref0re, the reeli o are not stretched beyond their capacity to regain the web must be such that the co rect (01 0 8- their former or original woven state. Thereby inal) relationsh p et n the tWO Outer thickpermanent relative displacement of the two thick- I 38 nesses and between the cro s-tapes a said nesses is prevented thus producing the even reelthicknesses sha be maintained undisturbed, if ing referred to, and the said stretch or contracthe' whole of the web is to be usab etion required is not in excess of the limit of Heretoiore, the reeling ladder Web as elasticity of the material or the point of breakmoniy practised. has ot been successful in maining down of the yarn fibers, and does not there- 40 taining the original relationship between the outfor cause permanent. change in gauge the 40 er thicknesses and the cross-tapes, for the whole distance between the cross tapes. The diameter length-oi t e ..l the Web fmm the of the. centre block or ring may vary with the inner end being dlstm'ted and Permanently thickness or quality of the ladder web, which 8 Wlth consequent waste of material when factors determine the relative movement between 46 the web g'g. s t the said thicknesses. The 5" block is suitable for outside end is ree on e sp e, po ons sevral yards) of the web of both ends get permat 'ii iz s which winds on about 16 cons per 5 waged The invention will be further described with l r r ofi e ct zg t i i 2 3: 3 58 :gference to the accompanying drawings, where- 50 (1 thus avoid waste. gg f gg g g on the discovery that the Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, mge. w not due to inequalities or 1 defects 0! aladder web reeled according t0 the invention, introduced in the weaving operation which was and an end view of reeling apparatus used in 5 reeling the web. 5

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the example of reeling apparatus shown in Fig. 1.'

Fig. 3 is a side view. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation. Fig. 5 is a plan of a machine embodying a further example of reeling apparatus and suitable for carrying out the improved reeling operation.

Fig. 6 is a side or edge view of a short length of Venetian blind ladder web.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a modification.

Figs. 8 and 9 are cross sections of further modifications. 1

As shown in Fig. 6, a ladder web consists of two outer broadtapes, a, b, and a series of intermediate narrow cross-tapes c c and cross-tapes c lying near to one edge of the tapes a, b and the cross-tapes c lying near to the opposite edge of the tapes a, b. i

In reeling the ladder according to the ordinary method, one end of the web is attached to a small diameter wood block and'when the desired length is reeled the block and. the reeled web are removed from the reelingmechanism and the web is ready to be packed for storage or shipment and ultimate sale. Owing to the tension on the outer tape being greater than the tension on the inner tape due to the difference in circumference of the reeled web, the tape gets puckered or rucked or the outer web gets unduly stretched beyond its capacity to regain its former or natural state or both. The present invention which is designed to overcome this puckering or rucking consists in reeling the weight on a roller or ring of a diameter corresponding to the diameter at which the tension of the tapes a, b due to reeling, is more or less equal, or the outer tape does not get stretched beyond its capacity to regain such stretch when the reel is unwound.

In the drawingslFlgs. 1 and 2), the roller or ring is in the form of an annular cardboard or like ring I, which is equalin width to the width of the web, and is mounted sleeve-fashion on a two-part annular block g. One, the larger, part of the block is mounted on the machine spindle e. and the other and smaller part is held to the larger part by spindles g slidably fitting holes in and engaging springs 9 within the said larger part. The opposed surfaces of said parts of the block are preferably metal faced. Attached to the disk h, which closes in the block and web during the reeling operation, is a wedge-like metal blade 1, which, on the disc being placed on the spindle, passes between the two parts of the block g and causes the smaller part to move radially and bind upon the interior of the ring 1, and thereby firmly hold the same to the block. The disc 11. is held to the spindle e by a nut, or cotter.

The ladder web to .be reeled is preferably tacked at one end to the ring f and the reeling proceeds in the usual manner as the spindle, block and ring rotate, but without any rucking of any part of the inner tape b. or overstretching of outer.

web a.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 a machine is shown designed to facilitate the operations of placing the ring f on the block g, separating the parts of the block to fix the ring, and guiding the tape as it is reeled.

Such machine comprises a pair of frames a supporting a hollow power shaft in fitted with fast and loose pulleys l 2 and with a large metal disc m. Slidably mounted in the shaft is a spindle n, which extends at each end beyond the ends of the shaft. Said spindle, and the bore of the shaft, are rectangular incross section at their ends, and the spindle, whilst free to slide enddle is of wedge shape, the wider part being further from the central part of the spindle, see. Fig. 4. By moving the hand-lever o in one direction, the spindle draws the bar q towards the machine and separates the two parts of the block g surrounding the bar, which thereby engage the ring I to hold the same to the bar. i

A broad, plate-like hand-lever r is pivoted at one end to the machine frame, and is adapted, in one position, to lie alongside the ring I and block g and take the place of the removable disc aforesaid. When raised to the dotted position (see Fig. 3), the lever 1' allows of -.the ring and reel-being removed from the machine.

A sliding belt-shifter s is provided for moving the driving belt on to and'off the fast and loose pulleys l l and such belt-shifter is operated by a spring-balanced foot-treadle (not shown) The machine will usually be mounted on a bench, and

the foot-treadle will be situated at the foot of,

the reeling proceeds.

The correct coiling of the web may be assisted by passing the web around another roller preceding the reeling block, see Fig. '7, the web being taken half way around the roller to give it an initial reverse curvature, which helps to negative any displacement in reeling.

The ring I may be replaced by a sheet metal cylindrical box it with removable ends u see Figs. 8 and 9, so that after use as a core for the reel, the box may be used for other purposes. The end of the ladder web will be flxed to the box by split pins passing through holes in the periphery of the box, or by the end of the web being made to loop around the box.

l. The process of reeling Venetian blind ladder web or the like having two similar broad on a diameter of reel at which the difference in length of the two main tapes of the web for any angle of arc is within the elastic limit of the web. whereby the web may be reeled and rereeled without permanent distortion oi. the parts of the web, and the parts of the web when the latter is removed for use, will automatically resum their normal initial relative positions.

2. An apparatus for reeling Venetian blind ladder web, comprising a power shaft, a pair of machine frames forming bearings for said shaft. 5. disc mounted on and rotating with said shaft. a circular expandible reeling block carried by and rotating with said shaft, said block being composed of two segments with means to yieldingly draw said segments together, an open-ended sleeve surrounding the block. and a wedge member also carried by the shaft in the rotation thereof and passing between the segments of the block to separate them and force them against jecting at each end beyond the ends of the shaft,

means including an operating lever for moving the spindle endwise, said spindle and the bore of the shaft at their ends being rectangular in cross section, and one end of the spindle being wedgeshape longitudinally, the wider part being furthest from the central part of the spindle, a circular expandible reeling block on said wedge-shaped end of the spindle, the block being composed of two segments, and meansfor holding the segments yieldingly together, an open-ended and removable sleeve surrounding the said block and normally held to the block when the latter is expanded, the expansion being effected by the wedge-shaped part of the spindle on the latter being moved endwise, a pivot carried by one of themachine frames, a plate mounted on said pivot and normally lying across one end of said sleeve, a hook-like fitting extending from the adiacent machine frame with which said plate may engage to hold the same in position during the reeling operation, but allow said plate to be raised about its pivot when requiring to remove the reel of tape and sleeve from the block, as herein set forth.

4. An apparatus for reeling Venetian blind ladder web, comprising a spindle, bearingsfor said spind1e, means for rotating the spindle, a circualso detachably keyed to the spindle, and one of said discs having on one side a wedge-like lateral projection lying between the segments of the block and serving to separate same and firmly hold the sleeve to the block, as herein set forth.

5. An apparatus for reeling Venetian blind ladder web comprising a power shaft, a pair of machine frames forming bearings for said shaft,

a disk mounted on and rotating with said shaft,

a circular expanding reeling block carried by and rotating with said shaft, said block being com-- posed of two segments and provided with means for yleldingly drawing said segments together, an

open ended sleeve, surrounding the block, and a,

wedge member also carried by the shaft in the rotation thereof and lying between the segments of the block and movable inwardly to separate the segments of the block for firmly holding the sleeve on the block.

6. An apparatus for reeling Venetian blind ladg der web comprising a power shaft, a pair of machine frames forming bearings for said shaft, a disk mounted on and rotating with said shaft, a circular expanding reeling block carried by and rotating with said shaft, said block being composed of two segments and provided with means for yieldingly drawing said segments together, an open ended sleeve surrounding the block, a wedge member also carried by the shaft in the rotation thereof and lying between the segments .of the block and movable inwardly to separate the segments of the block for firmly holding the sleeve on the block, and removable means carried by the shaft in the rotary movement thereof and located at the outer end of the open ended sleeve and cooperation with the said disk for forming a 'guide for the web.

7. A Venetian blind ladder web or the like havmain tapes at intervals in its length a ring, said ladder. web being reeled on said ring, the diameter of said ring being such that the difference in length of the two main tapes of the web in proximity to said ring is within the elastic limit of the web, whereby the web may be reeled and rereeled without permanent distortion of the parts of the web,'and the parts of the web when the latter is removed for use, will automatically resume their normal initial relative positions.

8. A Venetian blind ladder web or the like having two similar broad main tapes and provided with inter-connecting cross-tapes between the main tapes at intervals in its length a ring,

said ladder web being reeled on said ring, the diameter of said ring being such that the difference in length of the two main tapes of the web in proximity to said ring is such that permanent relative displacement of the two is substantially prevented, whereby the. web may be reeled and rereeled without permanent distortion of the parts of the web, and the parts of the web when the latter is removed for use, will automatically resume their normal initial relative positions.

' 9. A Venetianblind ladder web or the like having two similar broad main tapes and provided with inter-connecting cross-tapes between the main tapes at intervals in its length a ring, said ladder web being reeled on said ring, the diameter of said ring being approximately 5" for a web which winds on about 16 coils per inch radius, so that the difference in length of the two main tapes of the web in proximity to said ring is within the elastic limit of the web, whereby the web may be reeled and rereeled without permanent distortion of the parts of the web, and the of the web when the latter is removed for use, will automatically resume their normal initial relative positions.

GEORGE FREDERICK FRENCH. 

